By Barry Lindsay
The Pendragon is the only Cumbrian tarmac rally and always attracts out a lot of Spadeadam members for the event on Warcop. Dry tarmac met the crews as they lined up to start the first stage which then had stage 2 added in at 30 seconds in the mid pack to liven things up with two laps also. Peter Taylor / Andrew Roughead were quickest of SMC crews and leading overall by 3 seconds after 1 with a time of 9m 45. Barry & Michael Lindsay were next smc crew in 5th with 10m 23. David Hope & Fiona Gourlay were a welcome return taking over a year out to rebuild the Subaru. Loosing none of there speed with 10m 42. On stage two it was who got least held up Peter & Andrew following a car got 9m 48 and dropped them behind Stobart/Richardson in the Fiesta WRC. Barry & Michael had a clear run to 10m 13 then David & Fiona on 10m27 despite loosing brakes then Geoffrey Harkness & Caroline Lodge on 10m 40. Chris Taylor & Jonny Sproat retired after this stage 2.
Stage 3 & 4 were a slight change but similar format. On 3 Peter & Andrew regained the lead when Stobart / Richardson got a puncture dropping two & half minutes. Barry & Michael got 9m 33 dropping some time as this stage included a big hill to climb. David & Fiona on 9m 46 then Alistair Tough & Dee Addison on 9m48. Dee making a return to the sport after quite a few years away. On 4 Peter & Andrew went quicker with 8m 49 followed by Barry & Michael on 9m 27 despite the tyres over heating and battling with another car. David & Fiona on 9m 38 then Alistair & Dee on 9m 39.
Stages 5 & 6 was a different layout and used a confusing split which caught out a few in 2010 when it was used.
Barry was quickest SMC crew on 10m36 with Peter & Andrew just behind on 10m 37 after snapping a driveshaft. David & Fiona getting 11m16 then Phil Jobson & Neil Thomlinson on 11m 28.The tricky split caught out Alistair & Dee getting there second maximum of the day. On 6 Peter still on three driveshafts got 10m31 but he still had one more shaft than the 106 of Barry & Michael only one second behind! Geoffrey & Caroline were shedding fan belts on each stage and the urgency to get to the finish they got 11m 04. Barrie & Jerry were next on 11m 14.
Final two ran with more of a change a very tight merge which some said spoiled the stage as most crews had to reverse. Peter & Andrew were still loosing time to the rapidly recovering Stobart / Richardson getting 8m 40 on SS7. Barry & Michael struggled at the merge dropping time and then the clutch started slipping so nursed it to the finish on 9m 15. Alistair & Dee were getting the hang of the stages getting 9m 23 a head of David & Fiona on 9m 35. On the final stage Peter & Andrew got 8m 33 and enough to win the event. Alistair got 8m 59 ahead of Barry & Michael on 9m 09 loosing time following an evo into the merge to do a three point turn. Barrie & Jerry got 9m 29.
1st Overall Peter Taylor & Andrew Roughead Focus 1hr 16.04
5th OA 1st Barry & Michael Lindsay 106 1hr 19.08
12th OA 8th David Hope & Fiona Gourlay Subaru 1hr 22.16
15th OA 4th Barrie Thomson & Jerry Hettrick 106 1hr 23.45
18th OA 5th Geoffrey Harkness & Caroline Lodge Corsa 1hr 24.17
21st OA 6th Phil Jobson & Neil Thomlinson Escort 1hr 25.04
53rd OA 5th Alistair Tough & Dee Addison Escort 1hr 47.05
Retired Chris Taylor & Jonny Sproat Escort
